Parking
Snake Creek Trailhead at the end of Snake Creek Road. Park only in designated spaces; roadside and other undesignated parking are prohibited.
Overview
About Johnson Lake Trail via Snake Creek
Why go
- Alpine lake beneath Pyramid Peak
- Historic mine remains along the route
Heads up
- Eight miles with sustained climbing above 10,000 feet
- No potable water along Snake Creek Road
Johnson Lake Trail via Snake Creek is an 8-mile out-and-back from the end of Snake Creek Road to a small alpine lake beneath Pyramid Peak. The climb starts around 8,200 feet and gains about 2,500 feet, taking you through high forest and a fragile mining camp before you reach the lake. It’s the shorter of the park’s two approaches to Johnson Lake, but it is steep, narrow and rocky. Allow four to eight hours; give yourself the longer end if you’re adjusting to the altitude or want time at the old mine. This is a rewarding backcountry day for hikers comfortable with a sustained climb above 10,000 feet, not a casual lake stroll.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Basin map
Full mapElevation8,186–10,843 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
4 active Great Basin alerts
- CautionStage II fire restrictions prohibit outdoor fires and smokingStage II fire restrictions are active throughout Great Basin National Park because of extreme fire danger. - Do not use campfires, charcoal grills, or smoke outdoors anywhere in the park.Official details
- CautionPotable water is unavailable at park campgroundsPotable water is currently unavailable in every Great Basin National Park campground; bring sufficient water or fill containers before settling in.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Basin Tour Guide
Your drive to Johnson Lake Trail via Snake Creek, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Basin National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Snake Creek: Johnson Lake and the Old Mine0:00 / 0:26
“Up ahead are the Snake Creek trailheads, with a long hike to Johnson Lake and its old mining district.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Basin Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Many Aspen Trunks, One Plant
- A Kangaroo Rat Without a Drink
- Baker Creek Trailhead: Lake or Meadow Loop
- Baker Creek Campground: Choose Your Setting
- 36 audio storiesacross Great Basin’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Elk, Mule Deer, Wild Turkey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 29 trails, 29 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Johnson Lake Trail via Snake Creek
Stay on the Johnson Lake branchFrom Snake Creek Trailhead, follow the short connector north and take the left branch at the…
From Snake Creek Trailhead, follow the short connector north and take the left branch at the first split. The path crosses the North Fork of Johnson Creek once, then climbs through Douglas fir, spruce and aspen. The route keeps gaining through the lower forest, with a pair of close switchbacks below Snake Creek Divide and views opening over the Snake Creek drainage.
At about 2.3 miles from the trailhead, continue straight at the Timber Creek junction. Do the same at the Dead Lake junction around 2.6 miles. Both are tempting ways into other hikes; they aren’t part of this direct Johnson Lake outing. Keep following Johnson Lake Trail and turn around at the lake for the eight-mile round trip.
The steep pitches and the old mineAround mile three, above 10,000 feet, you reach the Johnson Mill Historic Site.
Around mile three, above 10,000 feet, you reach the Johnson Mill Historic Site. Log cabins, mining equipment and other remains sit in the trees and on the slope. The trail climbs steeply again beyond the first structures; a second group of ruins comes after most of the hardest pitches. The path stays rocky and narrow, so take your time on the loose footing, especially on the return descent.
The mine began with prospector Alfred Johnson, who filed for mining and power rights in 1909; the operation was established in 1912. Tungsten ore was milled here, then shipped away to be refined for alloy steel used in World War I. Mining continued intermittently after the war until a 1930s snowslide ended production. The remaining cabins and tramway are fragile historic resources: stay out of the structures and leave artifacts where they are.
At Johnson LakeThe lake is small, roughly 2.5 acres, tucked beneath Pyramid Peak in a high, rocky basin.
The lake is small, roughly 2.5 acres, tucked beneath Pyramid Peak in a high, rocky basin. After the long climb, it’s a quiet place to stop before retracing the same trail. For a photo, include the gray scree slope and the ring of trees around the water; the little lake makes more sense in its setting than as a tight crop of water alone.
The trail continues over Snake Creek Divide toward Baker Lake, but that’s a different, longer hike. Don’t add that extension to the mileage for this Snake Creek out-and-back.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Great Basin
22 sightingsElkMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
237 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
185 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
22 sightingsRattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
23 sightingsDusky GrouseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
18 sightingsThree-toed WoodpeckerMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Basin. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
